Vine Hill Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Vine Hill Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Autauga County. , The Vine Hill Cemetery was established in the 1880s. The cemetery sits atop a ridge in western Autauga County and has over 100 marked graves. The oldest is for Kate Elizabeth Sherrill, who died in 1890. The cemetery is the final resting place for several local families including Bagby, Blue, Brutch, Chandler, Daniels, Fischer, Franklin, McQueen, Moore, Pope, Roy, Russell, Sherrill, Urmi, Vinzant, and Weaver. The Alexander Urmi family came from Switzerland and settled at Vine Hill by the 1880s. The family planted large vineyards of concord grapes along the ridge and began producing wine in cypress log presses. They shipped their wines in oak casks or kegs to markets across Alabama. The operation flourished until about 1920 when the federal government instituted Prohibition against alcohol. The vineyards slowly went away, but even today a few wild grape vines can be found growing on the ridge. Another significant person buried in the cemetery is Colonel Murdock McQueen (1825-1906). Apart from military service during the Civil War, McQueen worked for several years as the Autauga County surveyor. , (Continued on other side), (Continued from other side) , Vine Hill Presbyterian Church was organized on September 13, 1879. Charter members were: Mrs. Elpsa U. Kay, Mrs. Sara E. Lapsley, Robert A. Lapsley, Samuel N. Lapsley, Mrs. Margaret A. Moore, James W. Lapsley, James Lapsley, Mrs. Agnes Norvell, Dr. Samuel G. Todd, and Mrs. Sarah J.D. Todd, all from the First Presbyterian Church of Selma. Pastors included: Rev. Peter Gowan (first), Rev. J.P. Word, Rev. R.A. Lapsley, Rev. James Lapsley, Rev. C.H. Moorman, Rev. Ozro Warren Wardlaw, Rev. C.H. Rogers, Rev. F.E. Bagby, and others. The church first met in a one-room structure. The church built the present structure in 1887 and added the bell tower about 1889. The church was constructed of heart pine throughout. The church flourished up to the 1970s when the membership dwindled as many early members passed away. The church disbanded about 1990. In early 2020, the Old Autauga Historical Society adopted the church and cemetery as an ongoing preservation project. Listed in the Alabama Historical Cemetery Register on August 30, 2021 .